Roundtables

Make Your Voice Heard

Automation Alley is the World Economic Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing Hub (AMHUB) for North America and as part of our mission, we host roundtable discussions at Integr8: The Industry 4.0 Conference. The core topics for each roundtable will revolve around technology, talent and the future of production. Each conversation is influenced by Automation Alley’s Velocity Index, a guide that maps Industry 4.0 technology perceptions and is published in Automation Alley’s annual Technology in Industry Report.

Each 75-minute roundtable will be made up of a broad diversity of views and opinions and will result in a series of white papers to be published globally following the conference. Roundtable participants will be recognized for their contribution.

Topics subject to change.

Integr8: Unlocking the Full Potential of Industry 4.0 Technologies

The eight technologies associated with Industry 4.0 are transformative in their own right, but the key to unlocking the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is at the intersection of those technologies. Join us for a roundtable series focused on how different combinations of Industry 4.0 technologies can lead to innovation in operations and processing; assembly and logistics; and product design and production.

Roundtable 4: Manufacturing Standards & Open Data Exchange

The manufacturing industry is dominated by proprietary solutions created in silos that evolve without support for open data exchange among supply chain stakeholders. This incompatibility leads to time delays as well as lost productivity and capital. In today’s digital, interconnected world, global manufacturers must make adopting open standards a top priority in order to realize unified business systems and to fully harness the power on Industry 4.0. This roundtable discussion will focus on the current standards landscape and steps the industry can take to create open lines of communication.

Roundtable 5: A New Era of Sustainable Manufacturing

The digital economy has created extraordinary challenges to the global manufacturing industry as consumers are demanding hyper-personalized products, economic pressures are forcing cost reductions and governments are calling for urgent action to reduce industry’s environmental footprint. According to the World Economic Forum, manufacturers account for 54% of global energy use and are responsible for 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Embracing Industry 4.0 will be key to increasing competitiveness and developing sustainable solutions. Join us for a roundtable discussion that aims to address the need to accelerate progress towards a new era of sustainable production.

Industry 4.0 is rapidly advancing a number of digital trends related to the future of work, and the COVID-19 crisis has only accelerated the need for digital transformation and innovative solutions to remain competitive. From remote work and the automation of highly repetitive tasks to upskilling and reskilling for Industry 4.0 jobs, this roundtable discussion will focus on best practices in the digital economy for both companies and workers.

Roundtable 7: COVID-19: Collaboration & Supply Chain Mitigation

The dramatic spread of COVID-19 has disrupted businesses and societies across the globe. In these unprecedented times, it is imperative that all stakeholders—especially global businesses—come together to minimize the pandemic’s impact on public health and further economic disruptions. No one entity can tackle this crisis alone. A rapid and scalable collaborative effort between the public and private sector will be necessary to mitigate current and future risks. Join us for a roundtable discussion focused on the short-term and long-term impacts of COVID-19 and how to mitigate future disruptions to manufacturing and the global supply chain.

Roundtable 8: Smart, Secure & Stable: The Future of Production

The smart and connected technologies of Industry 4.0 present manufacturers with an abundance of benefits including improved productivity and efficiency, better flexibility and agility, increased profitability and the ability to deliver a broader mix of customized products to customers. However, as the number of connected devices on the factory floor continues to increase exponentially, and more customer data is collected to deliver customized products, the manufacturing industry has become a prime target for cyber threats. Cyberattacks have become a major obstacle to continued Industry 4.0 innovation. Join us for a panel discussion focused on best practices for manufacturing’s smart, secure and stable path forward.

What our attendees had to say:

An innovative, collaborative, educational and inspiring conference!

Amy WoodHuntington National Bank

I’ve done my share of expos and conferences and Integr8 is top notch!

Rick ThorntonSecurity 101

We are already getting great feedback from the exposure.

Andrew KalinowskiThunder Technology

About Integr8

Integr8 is a place to learn, a place to get inspired and a place to challenge the status quo. As technology changes the way we make things, we too must change the way we think about manufacturing and the role we will play within this new, collaborative environment. Integr8 is where technology meets collaboration and where knowledge meets action.